Another wonderful discussion point from Jennifer Leonard on Design21 last week, titled Activist Design has really got me thinking. The post describes Leonard’s experience, whilst speaking at New York and Los Angeles based event The Creator Series [June 8-17], where she was asked “…about the nuances of social design and how it figured into a vision for our sustainable future.”
The question was asked:
“If the sort of design you speak of represents people and projects who are instigating (and helping to sustain) positive change in the world, then why don’t you just call this strand of design “activism”?
Stepping slightly from the activism slant, I am keen to quote how Leonard continues her discussion, defining design in 2007, answering her thoughts to the above question:
_design is both optimistic and pragmatic;
_design is about devising and executing a planned outcome;
_design means a lot of things to a lot of people;
_design could be regarded as activism, if the sensibilities one brings to it are activist in nature;
_design is undergoing a redesign;
_design is a hot topic right now because it’s increasingly becoming the shared language multi-disciplinarians speak when the goal is to discuss innovation and positive impact – socially, economically and ecologically.
Finding this article on 07.07.07, the day of the Live Earth concerts, this is a wonderfully positioned discussion. Design is changing dramatically, as much as the design world is churning out more and more designers, what we clearly have to realise is that design is about thinking, sharing and educating. In itself design is staring us in the face, as our tool: our globally shared language; like that of music, design will enable us to develop united communication methods for social, economic and environmentally positive change. Read Jerome Taylor’s June 2007 article in The Independant Newspaper – Creative industries ‘fuel Britain’s economic growth’.
In addition to the recognition and importance of Social Design [call it what you wish], is the Design Life Now exhibition, that has been running as part of the National Design Triennial 2006. On view since December 8, 2006 and running until the end of this month [July 29, 2007] at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Inaugurated in 2000, the Triennial’s Design Life Now features the work of 87 designers and firms who are leaders, innovators, or emerging figures in the world of design. They are practicing across numerous creative fields, including architecture, products, landscapes, interiors, graphics, film, animation, interactive media, fashion, robotics, and more. The exhibition and its following is understandably inspiring, a look across the entirity of design and its future influence.
The Design Life Now curators; Barbara Bloemink, Brooke Hodge, Ellen Lupton and Matilda McQuaid are still actively speaking on the Design Life Now: Blog, which is certainly worthy of a visit. Being UK based, I have not seen the exhibition myself, and speak today of it as an example however, do read Alex Terzich’s exhibition review on Core77 here.
